Null and Void
by Qweb
Summary: My idea for a really wicked season-ending cliffhanger. There will be blood. And there will be a chapter 2.
1. Null and Void

_This wasn't the story I intended to post this week, but all this talk about season finales put this wicked cliffhanger in my head and I wanted to post this before the show's season finale. These scenes would come at the end of a mostly unrelated episode and they do not relate to any of my other stories._

###

**Null and Void**

Ears covered for protection, Five-0 officers Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams alternated shots at the Honolulu Police Department firing range.

"Clear!" Danny announced, raising his empty weapon to his shoulder and pointing it at the ceiling.

"Clear!" Steve agreed, following suit.

They emptied their automatics, reloaded and holstered them before pressing the buttons to bring the targets closer.

Each target had grouping of holes so close they could have been covered by a quarter.

"No winner again. I guess we buy our own beers," Danny said. He felt a vibration in his pocket, pulled out his phone and raised his eyebrows when he checked the message.

"Rachel sent me a text," he reported. "She wants to talk to me before Grace gets home from school."

"Why a text? I thought you were on speaking terms with your ex," Steve said.

"We were," Danny agreed. "There must be something she thinks I'll object to and she doesn't want to argue about it on the phone."

"Maybe she wants Grace to eat more pineapple on her pizza," Steve suggested.

"Ha ha," said the detective, who thought fruit on pizza was sacrilege.

Danny started the laborious process of texting a reply. Steve couldn't stand to watch him struggle with the tiny keyboard on the smart phone. The commander snatched the phone from his partner's hands, quickly texted "Be right over" and handed it back before Danny finished sputtering his outrage.

"I take it you're giving me permission to leave early then," Danny said tartly.

"Permission granted," Steve said, snapping a salute, which looked odd coming from someone wearing beige cargo pants and a black T-shirt.

Danny rolled his eyes, straightened his tie and left.

###

Danny's daughter, Grace Williams, waited patiently on the steps in front of school until she was the last child left.

"Father late today?" Mrs. Fujita asked.

The girl shook her head. "Mommy's supposed to pick me up today. We were going to buy shoes." She pointed her toe and showed the badly scuffed Mary Janes.

Mrs. Fujita offered her cell phone. "Maybe you'd better call. Your parents might have gotten confused about whose day it is to pick you up."

Grace doubted that. She knew her parents were more likely to obsess about whose turn it was than to forget. There was no answer at her home phone or her mother's cell, so she tried her father.

"Williams," came the answer.

Grace felt a rush of relief. "Daddy, Mommy's supposed to pick me up but she's not here and she's not answering her phone and Mrs. Fujita wants to go home."

"I'm sorry, baby, something's come up with your Mom and me. We can't get there." Danny's voice was even and controlled, which for some reason sent chills down Grace's spine. "Why don't you call Uncle Steve to pick you up?"

"Okay," Grace said, her voice shaking.

"I love you, Grace." The girl heard her mother's voice at some distance from Danny's phone.

"Did you hear that, monkey?" Danny asked. When the girl said yes, her father added in a voice rough with emotion, "Whatever happens, baby, remember, Danno loves you."

"Love you, too," Grace answered.

Danny hung up. Grace turned to Mrs. Fujita and the teacher saw tears in the girl's eyes.

"Something's wrong. I need to call someone else."

The teacher agreed and Grace dialed a number that her father had insisted she memorize.

"McGarrett."

"Steve, Daddy said I should call you to pick me up."

"Grace?" He couldn't believe Danny's daughter was calling him.

"Please, Steve, I'm scared. Daddy sounded funny."

Steve wasn't good with kids. He hadn't even realized that until he met Danny. He'd just never had much experience with children while he was in the Navy. But now he was a police officer and a little girl was in trouble. No, his partner's little girl was in trouble.

"I'm just a few blocks away, Grace. I'll be there in five."

He made it in four.

As much as she wanted to go to her own home, Mrs. Fujita seemed hesitant to release Grace to Steve. Some of the girl's fear had communicated itself to the teacher. But Steve showed his ID and Grace swore she knew the man. He even knew Grace's code words, "Derek Jeter."

In the cab of the dark blue Silverado pickup, Grace explained how she couldn't reach her Mom and her Dad said to call Steve. "He said, call 'Uncle Steve,'" the girl emphasized.

Grace called Chin Ho Kelly Uncle Chin, because that was how he'd introduced himself to her. But Steve and Kono had just used their first names. "Uncle" Steve seemed to be a message. What it meant, neither of them knew, but it made them anxious.

"Your Mom texted your Dad and asked him to come over before you got home," Steve told the girl.

"Do you think they were fighting?" Grace asked. She knew texting instead of talking was a negative sign.

Or maybe, with Stan off in Singapore, the former spouses' lingering attraction had led to … No, Steve did NOT want to go there. "Maybe something happened at the house," Steve said, trying to break the mood of dread that engulfed them. "Maybe … the pipes broke and they're body surfing out the front door on a big wave."

Grace laughed dutifully, but not as if she meant it.

The police radio had been muttering calls all along, but suddenly one caught their ears. "Caller reports shots fired, 4347 Summer Street, Kuliouou." Grace gasped. It was her address.

Steve pressed hard on the accelerator.

###

The gate was wide open at the Edwards home and a patrol car had just pulled up to the front door, which was also open. As Steve screeched to a halt in the driveway, two officers who Steve recognized entered cautiously, guns drawn.

Grace whimpered.

"Grace, stay in the truck," Steve said urgently.

The girl promised.

Steve started to leave, hesitated, then leaned over and shut off the police radio. Only then did he run for the door with his badge in one hand and his gun in the other.

He thought later that he must have been in shock. At first, all he could see was a crime scene. A woman, shot through the neck, lay twisted as if she'd been running toward the door when she was gunned down. Arterial spray splattered across the foyer as if it had been painted by Jackson Pollack. Beyond her, a man lay face down, a pool of blood spreading from beneath him. His left hand was hidden under his body. His right stretched out to touch the butt of an automatic.

It took a long moment of dazed study before Steve could grasp that the woman was Rachel and the man was Danny.

The officers had cleared the house and recognized McGarrett. One went out to the car while the other raised his radio and said, "We have two DBs. Looks like a murder-suicide."

###

**Now, wouldn't that be a wicked season-ending cliffhanger? Fortunately, I won't make you wait three months to find out what happened.**


	2. Leaving a Void

_If you've read my story, Retreat, remember that was an AU story. This Steve hasn't met Danny's family. This story does not connect with any of my other stories._

###

**Null and Void**

**Chapter 2: Leaving a Void**

Murder-suicide.

"No, Danny," Steve groaned.

Beneath the fallen man, the pool of blood widened. His fingers twitched.

Steve pounced on his partner. "He's still alive! Didn't you check? Call an ambulance!"

Officer Marquez opened his mouth, but didn't answer. He wasn't going to throw his rookie partner under the bus. Instead, he spoke into his radio, requesting paramedics. "The suspect is still alive," he said, drawing a glare from Steve. "The male victim is still alive," the officer corrected himself. "He has been identified as Detective Danny Williams of Five-0."

Steve was glad he'd turned off the radio in his truck; so Danny's daughter didn't hear that. He wanted to go to the girl, but he had his hands full, pressing his folded shirt against Danny's belly to stem the sluggish flow of blood.

He was afraid to turn his partner over, afraid to move him at all. All he could do was push, drawing a tiny moan from his unconscious friend.

"Hang on, Danny," Steve urged. "What about Rachel?" he asked the officer, though he knew that neck wound had to be fatal.

Marquez checked for a pulse and shook his head. "Do you know her?" he asked, pulling out his notebook.

Steve hated to say it, because he knew it would look bad for Danny. "Her name is Rachel Edwards. She's, she was, Danny's ex-wife." In answer to the officer's knowing look, Steve protested. "He wouldn't. Danny … would … not … kill … Rachel. His daughter is out in my truck. He would not leave this for Grace to find. Besides …" From his position close to the floor, Steve had noticed something. "Look at the blood, man. Don't you see it?"

Marquez studied the scene and got it. He nodded.

The men heard sirens approaching. "Quick, before the paramedics get here. Take my phone and take some pictures," Steve pleaded.

Marquez complied.

When the paramedics came in, Steve urged them to be careful of the evidence.

"We're trying to save this man's life," one of the men snapped.

"So am I," Steve snarled. "Someone tried to set this up as a murder-suicide. I need this evidence to prove my friend innocent."

The second paramedic promised they'd be careful. "Get him on the stretcher and take him outside where we can work on him," he ordered the other man.

Oxygen, IV bags to rebuild blood pressure, bandages to compress the wound, get him to surgery as soon as possible. That was about all paramedics could do for an abdominal wound, anyway. They whisked Danny away, siren wailing.

###

Chin and Kono pulled in as the ambulance pulled out. They'd heard the police calls and rallied to support their friend. They found Steve still crouched inside, guarding the crime scene.

"We need to work the scene as soon as we can," Steve told them.

"Steve, we can't," Chin said. "This is an officer-involved shooting. It will be IA's case, Cage's case. You can't be involved, Steve, or the evidence will be tainted."

Steve shook his head in protest. Chin knew he had to be Danny's advocate, but where the Jerseyan would have ranted, Chin pleaded.

"Steve, this is Danny's reputation we're talking about, Danny's life! And Grace's future. You can't take chances with their lives!"

"All right, Chin, all right," Steve said impatiently.

Steve wanted to be in three places at once. He wanted to be with his partner at the hospital. He wanted to be comforting Grace. He wanted to be processing the crime scene so he could hunt down the scum who shot his friend. Instead, he was following procedure and protecting the crime scene until the scientists got there. Danny would be proud — he hoped.

"I understand," Steve told Chin. "I haven't touched anything. Have I, officer?"

"Nothing except the injured man," the officer confirmed. He'd decided that was the safest way to refer to Williams. He didn't want to have to shoot the head of Five-0 in self-defense.

"I'm waiting for CSI. OK, Chin? But I need you and Kono, too. I can't leave this to Cage. It's Danny! He would never, ever, kill Grace's mother."

His words reminded him of Danny's daughter. "Poor Grace, she's still out in my truck. It's been 40 minutes. God!" He looked at himself. One of the paramedics had given him a towel to clean his hands, but his arms, shirt and pants were covered in Danny's blood. "I can't go out there like this."

"I'll get her, Steve. I'll take her somewhere safe."

"I'll call … I'll call Danny's parents." Steve took his phone back from Marquez.

One day Danny had gotten hold of Steve's phone and programmed in half a dozen numbers — all the people Steve was supposed to call when he finally got Danny killed. The joke wasn't funny now, but Steve was glad to have the numbers. Danny had good instincts.

Tears filled Steve's eyes as, far away in New Jersey, a woman's voice answered the phone.

"Mrs. Williams, this is Steve McGarrett." He heard her gasp and continued hastily. "Danny's been shot, but he's still alive."

He heard her parrot his words, then a man took the phone and asked, "How bad?"

"The paramedic thought the wound itself wasn't life-threatening, but he's lost a lot of blood. A lot," Steve said, looking at his gory clothes. "But there's something else. I don't know how you felt about Danny's ex, but Rachel Edwards is dead. The scene looks like a murder-suicide."

"No," Benjamin Williams said instantly.

"No, I don't believe it, either," Steve agreed. "I think it was staged and I think we can prove it."

"Is Grace OK?" Raffaella Williams asked.

"She's fine. She was at school. But her stepfather is out of the country and I don't want to send her to child services."

"We're on our way," Benjamin promised and hung up.

###

Chin couldn't see anyone in Steve's truck until he got right up to it. Grace was curled up on the floor, her hands covering her head. Silent sobs shook her small frame.

When he opened the door, the girl flinched and he hastened to reassure her.

"Grace, honey, it's just me, just your Uncle Chin. Don't be afraid."

The girl flung herself in the detective's arms. "Uncle Chin. I'm scared. Daddy told me to call Steve and I knew something was wrong. Then the radio said someone was shooting and Steve went in the house and never came out."

Chin hugged her and rubbed her back in comfort.

"Steve's OK, Grace."

She recognized his omission. She sat back and looked at him. "What about Mommy and Daddy?" she said evenly.

Chin realized that it was the uncertainty that terrified the girl. He couldn't lie to her. "Can you be brave, Grace?"

"I need to know the truth, Uncle Chin," she said staunchly, though her chin quivered.

"Someone shot your parents. Your mother is dead. Your father is hurt, but he's still alive. Steve was helping him, that's why he didn't come back."

"And they took Daddy away in the ambulance?"

"Yes."

"Can I see him?"

"Not yet, honey. The doctors will be operating on him. Come with me and I'll take you somewhere where you'll be safe, while we look for the person who did this."

Chin took Grace with him in his Traverse. He considered Kamekona, because Grace knew him, but chose someone who could protect the girl, if this vendetta extended to her as well as her parents.

His cousin Sid answered his knock. "You're not …"

Chin interrupted the unfriendly greeting, "Grace, this is my cousin, Sid. Sid, this is Grace Williams, Danny's daughter. Grace needs someplace to stay for awhile. Someplace safe," he said looking significantly at the police officer's weapon.

"Come in, Grace." Sid's wife appeared at the door and ushered the frightened girl inside.

"What's happened?" Sid asked in a low voice.

"Danny's been shot and his ex-wife, Grace's mother, is dead. It was made to look like a murder-suicide but they didn't count on arterial blood spray."

"You think the girl is in trouble?"

"Maybe. I just want to make sure she's safe and I thought of a cop who might feel a little gratitude toward Five-0."

"We'll take her in. I owe your haole friend a favor. Beside, Christine wouldn't let me turn her out now." Sid smiled. His wife was a sucker for injured animals and scared kids.

"Thanks, cousin. I'll keep in touch. Steve called and said her grandparents are flying in, but it's a long trip from New Jersey." Chin turned to leave.

"Cuz, you'd better come in and say goodbye to the girl," Sid offered. It was the first time he'd allowed Chin past his door since the detective's disgrace.

"Thanks, cuz," Chin said with real gratitude. He went in to reassure Grace before returning to the Edwards' house.

###

The CSIs were among the members of HPD who hadn't shunned Chin Ho Kelly. They followed the evidence and had never seen any real evidence against him. They also admired Chin's abilities to read a crime scene and had been willing assistants in training the promising rookie Kono. They appreciated Steve's scientific knowledge and Danny's observant eyes, too. All in all, the forensic scientists worked in harmony with Five-0 — and sometimes Five-0 let them play with their high tech toys.

Kono worked with the CSIs while Steve cleaned up as best he could. He used a couple of bottles of water from a cooler in Kono's Cruze and one of her beach towels to rinse off most of the blood. He took his sponge bath in the bed of his pickup so he wouldn't contaminate the crime scene. In a gym bag in the back seat of his king cab, he found some gamy but unstained sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt that said "Property of the U.S, Naval Academy" on it in navy blue lettering. By contorting himself in the backseat, he managed to change out of his bloodstained clothes. He put the gory items in an evidence bag.

Steve climbed out of the Silverado as Sgt. Cage of Internal Affairs parked alongside.

"You shouldn't be here, McGarrett," the IA officer said. His tone was not unsympathetic.

"If I hadn't been here, Danny might be dead right now."

"Might have been better," Cage suggested.

"He's not …" Steve controlled his anger. "No, see for yourself."

"I've got a man at the hospital taking photos and samples," Cage told McGarrett.

"GSR won't tell you anything. We were at the range when Danny got the text to come over here. But the blood samples will be key," Steve said.

As they entered the gore-spattered foyer, Kono reported, "It's definitely not a murder-suicide, boss. There was a third person here. And it looks like he — or she — was the shooter."

"I'm sure you're an expert, rookie," Cage said sarcastically.

The CSI with Kono straightened to object, but McGarrett got in first.

"She's processed more murder scenes than you have, Cage," Steve responded. After all, IA was more concerned with corruption and abuse of power. Cage had only been involved in one murder investigation previously.

"And she's right," CSI Gus White said. "Come here and look."

Rachel's body had been taken away by the ME's office, but White showed Cage the photos Marquez had taken. "This is the position of the bodies when they were found, minus Commander McGarrett, of course."

"Of course." Despite his adversarial relationship with Five-0, Cage sympathized with the desperation on McGarrett's face as he tried to stem the flow of blood from his partner.

White pointed out where Rachel and Danny had lain.

"The fatal shot took Mrs. Edwards in the neck, severing her carotid artery. She bled out very quickly, but perhaps she would be pleased to know that her blood will prove that her ex-husband was not her killer."

"The arterial spray went everywhere," Cage noted.

"Not everywhere. And where it didn't go is very interesting," White responded.

White pointed to the pool of blood where Danny had lain. He handed out filtering glasses and lit the area with his equipment. If you ignored the pool of Danny's own blood, you could clearly see the spatters of Rachel's blood outlined Danny's body.

Cage got it. "There's a void," he said. "Williams was already down when the woman was shot."

"Danny was shot first," Steve said.

"And look at this," White said.

He indicated the spot where Danny's automatic still lay. When he picked it up and bagged it, the spatters were visible beneath it.

"Williams was on the ground when the woman was shot, but the gun wasn't," White explained.

"There was another shooter," Cage breathed.

"Isn't that what I said?" Kono complained.

"I think we can get more if we can use your computer equipment," White said to Steve.

"You're always welcome to use our toys, Gus," Steve said.

"Now wait a minute," Cage protested. "You're sure that McGarrett or Kalakaua couldn't have altered this evidence to help their friend."

Three identical looks of outrage confronted the IA officer, but it was the man behind him who spoke first.

"No," Officer Marquez said firmly. "I've been here since the bodies were discovered. No one touched anything except Williams' body."

"I would know if the scene had been tampered with," White said with dignity.

Cage held up his hands calling for peace. "I had to know. I'm not the enemy, McGarrett. If someone shot and framed a police officer, I'm as anxious to catch him as you are."

###

"Danny's still insurgery," Chin reported when he met the others at Five-0 headquarters. He helped Kono and White load the information into the computer, then they ran the crime scene evidence.

The computer recreation showed clearly that someone had been standing between Rachel and Danny when the woman was shot.

"He was 5-8 or 5-9." White estimated, based on the void in the spatter pattern.

"What about this guy?" Steve asked. He called up a mugshot on the smart table, then gave the image a shove that moved it to the screen in front of them all.

"Akira Kuroda," Kono read. "He's the right size and his rap sheet fits the profile — assault, attempted murder. He's been a suspect in at least two murders for hire, but there wasn't enough evidence to convict."

"What made you pick him out, boss?" Chin asked.

Steve was sitting on a chair, looking at his two hands cupped in front of him.

"My partner told me," he said, tears in his eyes. He showed them the cell phone in his hands. "I picked up Danny's phone to see if there was any information about the text Rachel supposedly sent him, and I found this. It was still open to the notebook app and there was a license number entered. The number came back to Kuroda."

"Danny Williams is the most observant man I've ever known," Chin said in amazement. "He wasn't on a case; he was just going to see his ex, but something made him suspicious."

"I think we should check out Mr. Kuroda," Cage said with a feral grin.

###

The police officers rushed out. The lone scientist stayed put, happy to continue compiling evidence on the fancy Five-0 computer. White patted the smart table.

"I don't know if they'll catch this Kuroda, but you and I will prove that Danny Williams is innocent," he told the computer.

###

Carrying a paper bag, Kuroda was leaving his apartment when two Five-0 cars, Cage's unmarked car and three blue and whites roared up. The killer dropped his bag and drew his weapon.

"Give it up, Kuroda. There's nowhere to go!" Steve yelled. He wanted to take the man alive. He wanted to find out why Rachel and Danny were targeted. But the killer refused to surrender.

He charged straight at Kono. She stood firm and fired, hitting the killer in the leg, but Cage and two HPD officers also fired with more deadly effect.

Steve looked down at the body. "Damn, now we may never know why," he said.

"Well, I know why he didn't surrender," Chin said. He pulled a business suit out of the paper bag. It was spotted all over with blood. "He wasn't fast enough getting rid of the evidence."

"He didn't count on Danny IDing him," Kono said.

"Bag it, Cage," Steve said heavily. "We need to get to the hospital."

###

**One more part coming. **


	3. Danny's Story

_**And now we got back and see what happened. No, I don't own them.  
>I'd be a lot kinder to them if I did.<strong>_

**##**

**Null and Void**

**Chapter 3: Danny's story**

As he approached Rachel's house, Danny Williams saw a car parked on the street. This was a neighborhood of homes with big, locked gates. People did not park on the street. Danny put a note in his cellphone about the license number.

The Edwards gate was wide open, but that wasn't so strange when Danny was expected,

The door opened to Danny's touch. OK, that was strange. He tilted his head. "Rachel?" he called suspiciously.

"Danny, don't …" The familiar English voice cut off.

Danny drew his weapon.

"Come join us, detective. Carefully," an urbane voice warned him.

Danny stepped in to find a Japanese man holding a gun to Rachel's ear. He stood mostly concealed behind the woman, hugging her to him. As Danny stepped in, the Japanese man who would later be identified as Akira Kuroda turned his weapon on the detective.

"Please set your gun on the table," he said, gesturing with his pistol.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will shoot you and the lovely lady."

"Danny, run," Rachel pleaded.

"Too late for that," the gunman said.

Danny knew he was right. Kuroda could shoot him before he got two steps. Anyway, Danny couldn't abandon Rachel.

"You're going to shoot us anyway," Danny said.

"Possibly," Kuroda admitted. "But that is then and this is now. Anything can happen between now and then. An earthquake could happen. The police could arrive. Your daughter could come home."

In blind anger, Danny took a step toward his tormentor.

The man smirked. (He didn't do it as well as McGarrett, Danny thought irrelevantly.) "No, we don't want your daughter involved in this mess, do we? Better hurry along, then. The table."

Don't give up your gun. They drilled it into recruits at the academy. Don't give up your gun. But if he did, this strangely genteel killer might let Rachel go. And Danny loved her, loved her still, loved her more than anyone except the beautiful daughter they'd made together.

Danny set his gun on the table and moved away as Kuroda indicated. They circled, Danny moving into the house as Kuroda pulled Rachel around toward the door. The gunman exchanged his own gun for Danny's, using his left hand to tuck his pistol in a shoulder holster. (Is that the only reason people wear suits on this island, to hide shoulder holsters? Danny wondered.)

"Now what?" Danny asked.

"We wait for the phone to ring." And it did, as if summoned. After three rings, the call went to voicemail. They heard Grace remind her mother she was supposed to be picked up.

Then Rachel's cell phone rang from her purse in the living room. When that call went to voicemail, they couldn't hear it.

"Your turn next, I imagine," Kuroda said to Danny. "You may answer. Tell your daughter something's come up. She should call Commander McGarrett to bring her home."

"Steve?" Was this some ploy to get Steve?

"Surely you don't want little Grace to walk in here all alone, do you?"

Danny's cell phone rang. "Williams."

"Daddy." Danny's heart broke to hear the relief in his daughter's voice. "Mommy's supposed to pick me up but she's not here and she's not answering her phone and Mrs. Fujita wants to go home."

"I'm sorry, baby, something's come up with your Mom and me. We can't get there." Danny kept his voice was even and controlled. "Why don't you call Uncle Steve to pick you up?"

"Okay," Grace said, her voice shaking. He knew his control hadn't fooled her. She had the making of a detective.

"I love you, Grace," Rachel blurted out. If those were her last words, so be it.

"Did you hear that, monkey?" Danny asked. When the girl said yes, her father added in a voice rough with emotion, "Whatever happens, baby, remember, Danno loves you."

"Love you, too," Grace answered.

Danny turned his phone off. "Is there more to this charade?" he asked.

"We're just about done," Kuroda said.

He stepped away from Rachel, toward Danny. Danny couldn't resist the chance, even though it was probably a trap.

"Rachel, run!" He lunged at the gunman, who calmly fired into Danny's abdomen. The detective dropped, left hand clutching the wound, right hand still reaching toward the gunman.

Rachel took one step back toward the man she still loved, and then ran for the door. Kuroda let her get two steps, then fired, as Danny's hand closed on his ankle. He jerked in surprise at the touch, though there was no strength in it. The shot went high, catching the woman in the neck.

She spun as she fell. Arterial spray pin-wheeled across the room. Danny felt the warm droplets spatter his hand and face. He heard Kuroda curse, then the gunman bent to place the murder weapon, Danny's own gun, next to the detective's slack hand.

"Murder-suicide, such a shame," Kuroda mocked, as Danny sank into the darkness.

###

The doctor's said that the pressure of Danny's body against his hand beneath helped slow the flow of blood until help could arrive.

The bullet penetrated the intestines and lodged against the pelvis. Surgeons had little difficulty repairing the damage. The loss of blood and the post-operative infection were more dangerous. He wavered semiconscious for three days before the fever finally broke.

His friends and his family sat beside him, talking softly, reminding him how much he had to live for. But he resisted awareness. He didn't want to resume consciousness in a world without Rachel.

Eventually, though, his detective nature reasserted itself. The voices he heard were familiar, but out of place. He had to open his eyes to understand the contradiction.

He saw his parents talking to Chin Ho Kelly. His parents sat on uncomfortable looking straight chairs set close together so Benjamin could keep his arm around his wife's shoulders.

Chin stood behind them, so was the first to see Danny was awake. He smiled and nudged Raffaella.

"Danny!" She moved with urgency, as if she wanted to throw herself on her son; but recognizing his fragility, she touched him as gently as a butterfly's wing. "Danny, we've been so worried."

"Mom. Rachel's gone, isn't she?" Danny said hoarsely.

"Yes, Danny, I'm sorry."

He blinked away tears. He had known she was dead when her blood spattered across his face. He didn't have the strength to mourn now. "Grace?" he asked.

"She's with Becca at Steve's house," Benjamin said.

That was good. Grace loved her aunt.

Danny transferred his attention to his teammate. "It wasn't me, Chin," he said.

"We know," Chin reassured him. "I mean, we knew you wouldn't but there was plenty of evidence to convince even Sgt. Cage."

Danny remembered the warm drops of blood. "Void?"

"Yes, a void," Chin agreed. "We caught the guy thanks to the license plate number you wrote in your phone. Well, when I say 'catch…'"

"Dead?"

"He came at us firing. And, no, it wasn't Steve this time. It was our HPD backup and Sgt. Cage. They didn't have much choice," he admitted.

"I never s…" Danny's voice ran dry. His mother offered him a chip of ice while his father tried to assist the investigation. "You never saw him?"

Danny just looked at the other three, neither confirming nor denying, while he sucked moisture back into his mouth.

"Never saw … never saw him before?" asked Chin, who could sometime read Danny's mind.

Danny nodded.

"Do you know why he did it, brah? He was a hired killer, but the paper trail's gone ice cold," Chin said. "Edwards is an obvious suspect, but we can't find a tie to him and the small amount of insurance doesn't seem worth the risk. And you, my friend, have too many enemies to count."

"Flatterer." Danny shook his head and made an effort to explain. "He never said. I don't know if I was the target or if Rachel was, and I was just needed for the murder-suicide theory. Maybe it's revenge on Stan or on Five-0. I don't know. He didn't say."

Danny had a suspicion, though. One he wouldn't share with anyone else. The killer had been suave and strangely polite, letting them say goodbye to Grace. And he seemed to want Steve involved. No, he wanted Steve to find the bodies, Danny thought with anger that would have burned hot if he'd had his full strength.

It all reminded Danny of Wo Fat. But he wouldn't say anything to his friends just yet; he didn't want Steve to feel responsible. And he would, the big goof. Wo Fat had made a mistake, Danny thought. He'd made Steve's vendetta, Danny's vendetta, too.

Danny asked his parents when he could see Grace. They left to check with the doctors while Chin filled Danny in on everything that had happened the day he was shot.

Danny shut his eyes and just listened. Chin was a restful person to be around. Danny let himself drift. The meds were nicely balanced at the moment. The pain was far away, but he didn't feel sleepy. He'd been sleeping for three days, for crying out loud. Chin's voice quieted. Danny figured his friend probably thought he was asleep, but he was still awake when Steve crashed through the door as if on a raid, with Kono right behind him.

"Hey, hey, sick person here," Danny protested weakly.

The commander stopped so suddenly, Kono had to dodge around him. Steve's relief at hearing his partner's voice was so profound it made him dizzy.

Kono went straight to the bed, needing to touch her friend to make sure he was all right. She caressed his cheek, then squeezed his hand.

"You had us worried, brah," she said, her voice choked with tears.

"I'll be OK, eventually," Danny answered.

Kono knew he wasn't talking about his wounds. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said. The sympathy in her eyes made the standard phrasing mean so much more.

Danny squeezed her fingers. Chin touched her shoulder and indicated the boss. Kono stepped aside. Steve leaned on the edge of the bed as if he needed the support.

"Thanks for looking after Grace," Danny said.

Steve waved that away as a given. "I thought you were dead," he said hoarsely.

"So did I," Danny answered drily.

Steve's smile lit up his face. Danny shook his head and returned the grin. In one crashing gunshot, his life had been changed; but he had a partner — three partners — he could rely on. Rachel was gone, but Danny wasn't alone.

"I'm glad you're not," Steve said.

Danny heard the excited voice of his daughter and the quick tap of her shoes on the floor outside the door.

"So am I," Danny told his friend.

###

**The End **

**(No, no plans to chase Wo Fat. I've set this AU to rest and can go on with my "in canon stories" — I hope.)**


End file.
